“The Street Vet” Dr. Kwane Stewart Visits Campus
From the first day he walked Skid Row in Los Angeles with a backpack full of medical supplies 15 years ago to founding the nonprofit Project Street Vet, now with teams of volunteers treating pets of people experiencing homelessness across the country, Dr. Kwane Stewart’s journey is both powerful and touching. Nicknamed “The Street Vet,” Stewart was selected as CNN’s 2023 Hero of the Year for his impact on helping others. He visited Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University to share his story.
Stewart addressed students, faculty, and staff on Friday, April 24, at Agnes Varis Auditorium. He delivered a second presentation the next day, co-sponsored by Cummings School and the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA), at Worcester Technical High School, followed by a panel discussion with Tufts at Tech Director Dr. Gregory Wolfus, associate clinical professor in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences at Cummings School, and representatives of local animal welfare groups.
Dr. Wade Tenney, associate clinical professor in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at Cummings School, introduced Stewart. Tenney said of his close friend and former veterinary school classmate, “Most of you know him as the ‘Street Vet,’ and that name reflects what his mission is: to provide compassionate care for the pets of the homeless population of L.A….Everything that Kwane does relates to his message, which is ‘No judgment. Just help.’ I couldn’t be prouder of what he’s done and the message he’s spreading.”
Setting the tone for his presentation, themed on the transformative power of kindness, Stewart began by sharing a video clip of his acceptance speech for CNN’s 2023 Hero of the Year Award: “As I get older, I start thinking about those big questions in life, ‘Why are we here? What defines us? Why are we human?’ And I think the answer, at least for me, is in the question, ‘What does it mean to be human?’ I believe it’s humanity. It’s looking out for each other, believing in each other, helping one another.”
Stewart went on to relate the story of treating the pet of an unhoused man and afterward, giving him a sandwich, as the man had not eaten in nearly two days. The man ate a corner of the sandwich and gave the rest to his dog. He was taken by the man’s act of kindness towards his dog and noted how a gesture of kindness can change someone’s life. True to form, Stewart shared the $100,000 CNN award with the other nine finalists.
After the clip, Stewart recounted the day that changed his life, outside of a 7-Eleven. He was a county shelter veterinarian, administering dozens of euthanasias daily, and feeling so discouraged and depressed that he planned to quit that day and possibly leave the field of veterinary medicine. He saw an unhoused man with his dog, visibly suffering from a skin issue and fleas. Stewart introduced himself and offered to come back the next day with flea treatment. He decided not to quit and returned the following day to treat the dog. The man thanked Stewart for not ignoring him.
“As he started to cry, I got a little emotional too,” recalled Stewart. “I took a knee, and we had this quiet moment, and I made him a pledge. I said, ‘I am going to go out and find more people like you.’ That was 15 years ago, and I’ve been walking the streets since that day.”
Stewart began walking an area of Los Angeles called Skid Row, several square blocks of unhoused people living under tents and tarps, many with pets. He put together a kit of medical supplies that he carries in a backpack. He can treat the majority of cases he encounters out of his backpack. (Any cases he or his team of volunteers cannot treat are sent to a nearby hospital, with his nonprofit now covering the costs.)
For 10 years on his own, Stewart provided care for pets of people experiencing homelessness, after work and on weekends. After his brother set up an Instagram page, his stories gained a following and volunteers. His brother helped him form the charity Project Street Vet five years ago with the mission of providing free and compassionate veterinary care to the pets of people experiencing homelessness or financial strain. Today, teams of volunteer veterinarians and veterinary technicians for Project Street Vet serve unhoused populations in 10 cities throughout the United States.
Stewart shared several stories of the people and pets he has helped over the years. When the dog of a veteran named Richard needed surgery for bladder stones, Stewart posted the story on social media, raising $13,000 for a $3,000 surgery. He offered the balance to Richard, who asked that he pay it forward to other pets in need. Stewart sends Richard a letter and photo when other pets are treated with those funds.
“These people in the streets are some of the most remarkable pet parents I’ve ever met,” said Stewart. “They make sacrifices well beyond what we would understand. They will sacrifice food and keep sleeping on the streets for their pet.”
Stewart’s upcoming book, What it Takes to Save a Life: A Veterinarian’s Quest for Healing and Hope, tells many of these stories. He also wrote a script about his experiences for Netflix. He plans to push for changes to laws so that homeless people don’t have to give up their pets to secure housing.
“What I’ve learned above everything is this kindness factor, and I stumbled on it. I now know how important it is, how powerful it is. And you soon-to-be vets, this is where you come in. You will realize how important you are to keeping families together,” he said.
Stressing the importance of work/life balance, especially in the veterinary field, Stewart advised the audience to remember to take care of themselves too, noting his own experience early in his career.
Stewart ended his presentation with words said to him by an unhoused man living under a tarp with his dog. “You are here for but a blink to the universe. Your time here is short, you will be forgotten….The universe recognizes the energy and the vibration of kindness. So if you want to live on, if you want to be recorded in the fabric of time, just remember to be kind to one another.”